A simple grocery run turned into an unimaginable tragedy Wednesday afternoon in Decatur, Georgia. A driver slammed into a parked car outside a Kroger, killing 49-year-old Giselle Perry.
Perry, the aunt of Atlanta Falcons cornerbacks AJ Terrell and Avieon Terrell, was sitting in her car waiting for her mother to finish shopping when the crash happened around 3:20 p.m. on Wesley Chapel Road.
DeKalb County Police rushed to the scene after reports of a serious multi-vehicle crash that also involved pedestrians. The force of the impact shoved Perry’s car onto the sidewalk and toward the store. She was pronounced dead right there.
A pedestrian and the driver of the other car were seriously hurt and taken to the hospital. Two kids nearby had to be checked out too. People who saw it said the crash was incredibly violent debris was scattered everywhere across the parking lot.
A tweet from X.
Family described Giselle (also known as Giselle Terrell Perry) as a warm, vibrant woman who was always in her nephews’ corner, supporting their football careers every step of the way. Her husband, Laddyan Perry, told reporters through his grief:
“She was great, gorgeous, everything that’s good. She was my wife, my model, my hun… she was everything to me.”
She lived close by and was just doing what so many of us do waiting in the car for a family member. Nothing out of the ordinary.
AJ Terrell posted a raw tribute on Instagram:
“I’m torn, Aunty. Heart is heavy. I love you.”
The Terrell brothers, both former Clemson stars now playing together for the Falcons, meant the world to her, and she was a proud fixture at their games. The whole family is hurting right now.
The story spread fast after @DailyLoud shared it on X with family photos and images from the scene. Local stations like WSB-TV, Atlanta News First, and 11Alive broke the news first, and it quickly got picked up nationally.
Falcons fans, neighbors, and people across the sports world have been pouring out condolences online. It’s the kind of sudden loss that hits hard something that happens in a random parking lot on an ordinary afternoon.
Perry has now been named by DeKalb County Police along with the Medical Examiner’s Office as the person who died. Right now, detectives continue looking into what happened, though they’re holding off on stating how it occurred. There were whispers about health troubles affecting the second motorist – yet zero proof stands so far. Officials have not filed any legal actions at this point while camera clips and additional material remain under close review.
Life shifts sudden, even where we feel safest. Around the Terrells stepped the Falcons, then others across the NFL, moving close. A moment like this shows how thin normal really is.
As of May 8, 2026, there’s still no public word on funeral plans. Because life shows up unannounced, Giselle’s passing hits hard not just those who met her, but others too.
